Nakhon
Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima, is not only a town, frequently referred to as Korat, but also a province
that covers an area of around 20,494 square kilometres.

Nakhon
Ratchasima is located 259 kilometres North-East of Bangkok, and borders Chaiyaphum and Khon Kaen to the North, Nakhon Nayok and
Prachin Buri to the South, Buri Ram to the East and Chaiyaphum and Saraburi to the West.
While still only a few hours from Bangkok by road, Nakhon Ratchasima is
found in the area of Thailand commonly known as Issan.

The province, rich in Khmer culture, is a popular
destination for Thai tourists exploring their own country, and increasingly, foreigners and expats looking to get away from Bangkok, and enjoy
some fresh air and the many attractions available.

Nakhon
Ratchasima boasts many forests, mountains, waterfalls and a few reservoirs for visitors to enjoy,
andthanks to its colourful history,
has numerous ancient monuments for visitors to discover, as well as more modern pursuits
such as golf, and world-class spa facilities.

The
main town of Nakhon Ratchasima has a moat which surrounds the city, used
in the past to help protect what was a main administrative centre for
the region. The roads are wide, similar to many boulevards found in
France, which is thanks in part to a city plan designed by French
engineers. The area around Pratu Chum Phon in the centre is an ideal
location to enjoy a relaxing walk, while getting a feel for the city's
history. Pratu Chum Phun is actually the remnants of an old gate built
during the reign of King Narai the Great in 1656, who ordered a strong
wall be built around the city. The western Chum Phon Gate is one of only
four city gates that still exist. The other three were rebuit.

One
of the major attractions in Nakhon Ratchasima city is the Thao Suranari
Monument which is a memorial to the Thai heroine, Thao Suranari. The
statue, built in 1934, proudly stands 1.85 metres tall from the elevated
base, is made of black copper, faces
west towards Bangkok and holds a sword. Thao
Suranari was for many years Khunying Mo, the wife of the assistant
governor. She was promoted to Thai Suranari by King Rama III, after she
rallied villagers to fight against Chao Anuwong of Vientiane who had
Korat under siege in 1826. As the statue houses Thao Suranari's ashes in its
base, many locals and visitors to the city will
visit this monument to pay homage and ask for blessings.

International
tourism to Nakhon Ratchasima is still relatively new, and as such there
are not yet many International hotel brands. This is changing, and new
boutique and other 5 star hotels are opening. The top hotels in Nakhon
Ratchasima currently include, the Dusit Princess, the trendy V-One
Hotel (which offers some exceptional value for money rooms) and
the Sima Thani. We will soon be adding a review of some of the hotels in
Nakhon Ratchasima so do check back.

One
attraction that should not be missed when visiting Nakhon Ratchasima is
the Phimai Historical Park. One of the grandest and most important Khmer
historical sites in Thailand, Phimai sanctuary is 565 metres wide and
1,030 metres long. It consists of structures made of sandstone and
laterite. Unusually, the sanctuary faces south rather than east which is
more common. It is believed that this is because Phimai was constructed
to face the route the Khmers would take from the capital of their empire
to the south of Phimai. While the sanctuary has had some additions over
the years, the general belief is that it was constructed at the end of
the 16th Buddhist Century during the reign of King Suriyaworaman I. The
park is open from 7:30 to 18:00 and admission costs just THB 40.

One
area which does have massive International tourism appeal and potential,
is Khao Yai. As this area is very popular for its picturesque scenery,
quality resorts, golf courses, spas and even vineyards, we will be
devoting an entire area of our website to Khao Yai.

Getting
to Nakhon Ratchasima is very easy. By road the journey will take around
3/4 hours. The roads are good quality and well sign posted so
self-driving is not a problem. Alternatively, buses leave Bangkok's Mo
Chit station numerous times per day, on a journey scheduled to last
around 3 hours and 20 minutes. A train service, which takes around 6
hours, leaves 7 times per day from Bangkok. Once in the city, numerous
tuk tuk's and tricycles are available to whisk you around, but do make
sure you negotiate a price before hopping on.